Boston College Basketball: Eagles Suffer First Loss of Season to Belmont

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Nik Popovic leads four Boston College players in scoring with 23 points

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Belmont outscored Boston College 32-9 over a 12-minute span, closing the first half and into the second, earning a 100-85 win in game two of the Gotham Classic.

It was a back-and-forth first half that saw eight ties and 16 lead changes. The Eagles led by as many as five – 22-17 with 12:59 to play – and held onto a one-point lead after a CJ Felder jumper made it 45-44 with just over a minute left in the half.

But Belmont would close the opening frame with five straight points, beginning the run that proved costly for Eagles.

The Bruins built as much as a 25-point cushion – 81-56 – midway through the second half. BC would chip away, getting as close as 15 points on two occasions after two 3-pointers by Kamari Williams.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Nik Popovic led BC with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The 6-11 center made 3-of-5 from the perimeter to go with five rebounds in 31 minutes.
Derryck Thornton had 15 points, seven assists (three turnovers), three rebounds, and two steals.
Jay Heath added 10 points in a foul-added 27 minutes of play.
Kamari Williams came off the bench to score a season-best 10 points (3-4 FG; 2-4 3FG; 2-2 FT).
Offensively, BC put up some of its best numbers of the season – 85 points, 55.9% shooting (33-59), 44.4% from the 3-point line (8-18), 84.6% from the FT line (11-13), and 18 assists.
On the other side of the floor, Belmont became the first opponent to score 100 points on the Conte Forum hardwood since an overtime affair vs. Providence on Dec. 4, 2018.
The Bruins’ 15 made 3-pointers tied for the most by an opponent at Conte Forum and guard Adam Kunkel’s 35 points ranks sixth all-time by an opponent.

STAT OF THE GAME:

42 – Boston College scored 42 of its 85 points in the paint.

FOR THE ANALYTICS CROWD:

Nik Popovic (21) and Steffon Mitchell (20) led the way for the Eagles in efficiency rating.
Two others – Derryck Thornton (15) and Kamari Williams (10) – each registered double-figures in the EFF column.
Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – Missed Shots – TO)

UP NEXT:

Boston College plays the third of five straight at home, hosting Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The game is the third of four games as part of the Gotham Classic MTE.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ACC Network Extra.
The game can also be heard live on the Boston College Learfield IMG College Sports Network with Josh Maurer and Danya Abrams.